Sciphone -- Engadget Mobile

sciphone posts

Dedicated Android partner SciPhone brings N19, N21 to market

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 12:27PM

You've got to give these guys credit -- SciPhone has been creating bizarre Android-powered devices of both the KIRF and original-design variety basically since day one of the platform's existence, and two of its latest and greatest models are now available for purchase. Actually, attributing these two to SciPhone specifically is a bit unfair; the N19 appears to be a rebrand of that awesome Broncho A1 Storm KIRF we saw not long ago (shouldn't they be copying the Storm2 now?) while the N21 looks like a dead ringer for the General Mobile DSTL1, right down to the 5 megapixel cam and dual SIM slots. We'd say "we'll pass" without a second thought, but at $150 and $235, respectively, it gives you... well, at least a solid two seconds of pause, doesn't it?

[Via Cloned In China]

Read - SciPhone N19
Read - SciPhone N21

SciPhone Dream G2 Android charger is best ever

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 30th 2009 @ 1:48AM

One of our favorite intellectual property rips of recent months is without a doubt the SciPhone Dream G2 from China. Having completely missed the point of Google's open-source OS being, well, open-source and thus free for SciPhone's use, the company instead chose to hack the G2's "proprietory" OS to look like Android. The charger, however, built to look like the iconic Android mascot is pretty damn cute; enough so that the idea of paying $150 just to get our hands on the 100-240V USB charger has crossed our minds. See the Android's naughty bits after the break.

[Thanks, Steven]

Continue reading SciPhone Dream G2 Android charger is best ever

SciPhone shocker! N12 handset features 'genuine' Android OS

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 19th 2009 @ 11:41AM

It looks we don't have ol' SciPhone to kick around anymore. Sure, we had some laughs -- mainly due to the fact that the irony-resistant handset manufacturer was ripping off an open source OS -- but now it looks like all that has changed. The SciPhone N12 (apparently) runs genuine Android, sports both quadband GSM and WCDMA (3G), and packs a 3.2-inch touchscreen, WiFi, a GPS module, CMMB TV support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a 624MHz Marvell processor under the hood. Listed for CNY $1,600 (roughly $234), this bad boy should be out June 25. Check out a couple more pics after the break.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading SciPhone shocker! N12 handset features 'genuine' Android OS

SciPhone Dream G2+ adds WiFi to the Android KIRF madness

by Paul Miller posted Apr 16th 2009 @ 9:02AM

Months later we're still thrilled at the discovery that the original Dream G2 doesn't run the free and open Android OS, but instead a carefully built, stylus-driven clone. Well, SciPhone's Dream G2+ followup continues in that noble tradition, running with some tweaked looks and the addition of WiFi on top of what looks to be that same Android-cloning interface. It's pretty thrilling stuff, and not at all bad for the $185 asking price.

[Via PMP Today]

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXVIII: no carrier subsidy to be found

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 19th 2009 @ 10:44AM

Most people try to keep carrier branding on their phones to a minimum -- it's gaudy, loud, and unnecessary -- but for the burgeoning KIRF industry, anything goes. Take for example the SciPhone S18, brought to you by the same company that saw fit to clone a free platform, Android, of all things. It sorta looks like a cross between an Incite, a Vu, and a Prada (which never launched on AT&T, coincidentally), but the kicker is the big ol' AT&T logo top center. We're pretty sure it wouldn't take more than a couple days on an American carrier for these dudes to decide that the logo's doing more harm than good, but then again, maybe they know something we don't. Doubtful.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Dream G2 doesn't get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 15th 2009 @ 1:30PM

So we guess we gave Sciphone too much credit when we thought its G2 was running real, actual, genuine Android. "Why would anyone ape the user interface," we thought, "when the codebase is available to whomever wants it?" Silly us! Turns out the G2's guts have absolutely nothing to do with Android other than the fact that the UI does a commendable job of looking like the real thing, though the presence of a stylus gives credibility to its KIRF roots. The hardware (which even gets a "Google" logo on the back) actually doesn't look that bad -- and it's loaded with some apps that you won't find on a G1 -- but we'll hedge our bets and wait for a new HTC, thank you very much.

[Via Android Central]

Continue reading Dream G2 doesn't get the irony of ripping off an open-source OS

Android-powered Sciphone Dream G2 is neither dreamy nor the G1's successor

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 18th 2008 @ 8:49AM

The G1's taken some flak for being just a little less fashion-forward than the hottest handsets on the market, but as retail Android handsets go, it's the most beautiful thing going -- and we think that illustrious title's safe for the time being. Meet the "Dream G2" (groan) from China's Sciphone, a brick of an Android-powered handset promised for a November 28 release featuring EDGE data, WiFi, 4-megapixel cam with autofocus, 50MB of internal memory, microSD expansion to 16GB, FM radio, a QVGA display, and "the most advanced software ever engineered." Without a physical keyboard (as far as we can see, anyhow) and no software support in Android promised for a few months at minimum, it's unclear how you'll input text, but hey, the release is still a good ten days away -- maybe these guys are good at thinking on their feet.

[Via ModMyGphone, thanks neerhaj]